358 Tasting Notes

80
drank Banana Dream Pie by DAVIDsTEA
358 tasting notes

Ahhhhh, I love having fun new teas to try! And I think I’ve been wanting to try this one for awhile, so that’s even more exciting. Yesterday was a wonderful day – one of those rare days that comes every once in awhile where you feel like a ray of sunshine is beaming down on you all day. I got a new car (my first brand new car, actually!), I made A’s on both of my nursing exams, my fiancee got two big contracts that he’s been waiting on – seriously we should’ve bought a lottery ticket because we had good things happen all day. After the past three weeks of our basement being flooded, our kitties all being deathly ill and my poor car dying we needed some good things! Now today it’s all flying snow flurries outside and I’m inside watching the birds eat at the bird feeders and half hoping for a snow day tomorrow so I don’t have to go to the hospital. :)

This tea is very cocoaish to me. I can only taste a little of the banana, and it seemed really odd and artificially fruity until I added some milk and sugar. I think milk and sugar pulls all of the flavors (chocolate, banana and cocoa) together and gives it a creamy effect. Maybe not something I would stock permanently in my cupboard, but I will certainly enjoy the rest of this sample. Thank you, VariaTEA! I’m going to finish of this cup with some cookies and cream fudge that I made last night and watch the snow fall. :)

-Dry blend has medium black tea leaves with large pieces of dried banana in a powdery cocoa.
-Dry leaves smell strongly of cocoa with a hint of fruity banana. Tea liquor aroma is of rich chocolate.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium orange yellow color with an oily sheen on top.
-Odd fruity banana flavor and finish. Light cocoa aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Very good tea. Strong cocoa powder flavor with a hint of fruity banana.

VariaTEA

Glad you liked it. I found it too artificial and a bit oily so I am happy it went somewhere it will be enjoyed.

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Snow day! I will have a lot of at-home assignments to do to make up for it, but at least I can be in my pajamas and sipping a cup of tea!

What better tea to start this snow day off than with a cup of Marshmallow Snowflake Earl Grey?! The snowflakes in this tea are so pretty – not the cheap little sprinkle ones, but bigger gleaming white ones. I could smell the marshmallow aroma from this one even before I opened the little sample package. I couldn’t smell any of the bergamot, but it comes through in the tea as a light lemony flavor. This is followed up by a creamy marshmallow finish and a light bergamot and vanilla aftertaste. The creaminess and flavor of this tea is absolute perfection! I get tired of such strong bergamot flavors after a while, but this is one that I could drink everyday. I like that the Earl Grey flavor isn’t overwhelming, and it’s just softly floating in my cup wrapped up with the marshmallowy sweetness. Thank you to VariaTEA for sending me a sample of this one – I love it! I looked on their website but didn’t see it – is it still available to order?

-Dry blend has large black tea leaves with small blue and white petals and small white snowflakes.
-Dry leaves smell very sweetly of marshmallow and sugary vanilla. Tea liquor aroma is of rich vanilla with a hint of bergamot.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium orange brown color.
-Light lemony bergamot flavor with a sweet and creamy marshmallow finish. Soft bergamot and vanilla aftertaste.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Excellent tea. A smooth cup. Light Earl Grey with a creamy sweet marshmallow flavor.

VariaTEA

Haha. Okay. I am glad it arrived.

QueenOfTarts

I’ve been having that same problem for quite a while. It will freeze and I’ll have to close the program. Last time I checked, Jason was unsure of why it was happening, but was kindly looking into it.

Josie Jade

Thanks for the update! It’s been a crazy busy week and I didn’t want VariaTEA to think I’d forgotten about her. This was the easiest way I could think of to get a message out. And I’m really excited to try this tea too!

Tea Pet

I have the same problem. I’m not sure if this will help you both… but, the solution that I found is using Steepster on Firefox. Firefox seems to handle the messages application fine.

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A soothing evening cup. It’s been a busy week – the start of my second semester of nursing school and our neighbor’s pipes busted during the crazy cold weather and flooded our basement. Our basement now looks like a war zone, and we have super loud dehumidifier fans on and no bathroom vanity or sink or floors. I keep hoping it will be resolved soon, but the neighbor’s insurance adjuster hasn’t even been to look at the damage yet and they’re hinting that it’s our insurance company’s responsibility, so we’re on freeze and can’t really do anything. Not quite the start I anticipated for 2014, but it did lead us to a lot of unexpected remodeling for the whole house.

When I opened the sample packet to take a peek at the dry blend, I saw large green shapes that I couldn’t figure out what it was. Then I realized that the white chocolate had turned green from the peppermint leaves. The tea had a lot of oil on top, which I kind of expected from the chocolate, but it seems like David’s Teas have the worst greasiness to them out of all the teas that I’ve ever had. The taste is pretty good – mostly refreshing peppermint. I couldn’t really notice the chocolate until I added some sweetener and milk, and then it really became a white chocolate creamy drink with a strong cooling peppermint aftertaste. I like this one, and I love that it’s decaf. Definitely a nice caffeine-free option to have in the evening as dessert!

-Dry blend has small chopped green peppermint leaves with pieces of green chocolate and small brown peppercorns.
-Dry leaves smell overwhelmingly of fresh mint. Tea liquor aroma is of peppermint with a touch of sweetness.
-Tea liquor is a cloudy medium yellow color with an oily sheen on top.
-Refreshing mint flavor with a sweet finish. Cooling peppermint and stevia aftertaste that lingers.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Very good tea. A creamy cup with sweet white chocolate and cooling peppermint. Wonderful caffeine-free dessert tea.

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drank Champagne Cider by Butiki Teas
358 tasting notes

I’m enjoying this as an afternoon cuppa. A little late, since New Years was last week, but I’m still in a celebratory mood! I’m not really getting any champagne from this, but it is a little like apple cider. The honeybush is really noticeable in the flavor, and the apple and spices just a little. I like it, and will gladly finish off the sample, but probably wouldn’t order more.

I woke up at 4 am today to check to see if our clinic schedule was posted for nursing school and it finally was! Luckily I have clinic on Wednesdays, so I didn’t have to get up and rush to the hospital this morning. I’m also feeling lucky because I didn’t get the 12-hour Saturday clinic like half of the class did. With clinic on Wednesday and class on Thursday and Friday, I have 2 more surprise days left of break! I thought about being productive and cleaning out my car, but it’s cold outside and I think I will just enjoy my surprise next-to-last day of break by reading and sipping tea. Hurrah! I hope everyone is staying warm in this crazy winter weather! We haven’t gotten any snow, but the high for tomorrow is 21 degrees, and I honestly don’t think that I’ve ever seen it that cold here. Brrrrrrrrrrrrr!

-Dry blend has small pieces of brown honeybush with pieces of dried apples and small orange petals.
-Dry leaves smell strongly of apples and spices. Tea liquor aroma is of apple cider with a hint of cinnamon.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium orange brown color.
-Light apple flavor with a sweet spicy finish. Soft aftertaste of lingering honeybush with a hint of orange.
-Best with sweetener. Milk optional.
-Good tea. Dominant honeybush flavor with sweet apples and just a hint of spices. Not reminiscent of champagne.

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This is my last new non-decaf. tea to try. Kind of sad. I think I will let myself order some new teas when I get done with my first 8 week class so that I can enjoy them on spring break. Only 8 weeks till new teas, hooray!

This one surprised me with how light and sweet it is. I notice apricot in the flavor, but the aftertaste is a sweet grape that lingers. This would be a nice cup to have on a hot summer afternoon, since it’s almost refreshing in its fruitiness. It’s certainly a nice tea to have on this cold and dreary morning. The upstairs of our house is always much warmer than the middle floor where the kitchen and living room is. I literally gasped when I walked downstairs today because it is freezing on our middle floor! Today is a day when the fireplace needs to be on all day long. :) Thank you, KiwiDelight for this wonderful sample!

-Dry blend has small clusters of green and brown rolled tea leaves and small white and yellow petals.
-Dry leaves smell lightly of fresh flowers. Tea liquor aroma is of sweet fruits.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium yellow color.
-Light fruity apricot flavor and finish. Sweet grapey floral aftertaste that lingers.
-Best with sweetener.
-Very good tea. Light sweet floral and fruit flavors with a soft hint of grapes.

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This tea has been on my wishlist since forever. I love anything coconut, especially coconut cream pie! I’m kind of amazed that this tea doesn’t taste more strongly of rooibos. There’s a little hint of it in there, but not overwhelming at all. The coconut flavor is pretty subtle, but it’s there – nice and creamy. I’m not getting any of the graham cracker crust taste mentioned, but I can live without that. Any rooibos that you can’t actually taste the rooibos is a winner in my book! This will be a nice tea to have on hand for those nights when I need a sweet and calming dessert tea.

Today was a busy day. We had two friends over to help with house projects (changing out ceiling fans, doorknobs, light switches, etc.) and the house went from being very clean to a disaster really quick. But it’s back in order, more of the projects are complete (but still more to do) and we have a new sparkly wreath for the front door that I put together while I was supervising the boys so they didn’t burn the house down. :) I’ve also started the semester out great (insert sarcasm here), and procrastinated until the last minute for all of this homework that is due on the first day of class. Some of my classmates are doing the homework now and saying that it takes forever, and I’m mad at myself for waiting to start it. My plan of attack is to get up really early and get it done so that I can enjoy my Sunday, and the last official day of break!

-Dry blend has small pieces of red rooibos with large slivers of coconut.
-Dry leaves smell lightly of coconut pie with a hint of mediciney rooibos. Tea liquor aroma is of warm rooibos and fresh coconut.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium orange brown color.
-Smooth fresh coconut flavor and finish. Creamy coconut pie aftertaste.
-Best with sweetener.
-Very good tea. A creamy cup. Subtle coconut cream pie flavor. No strong rooibos taste.

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First cup of the morning. I was very curious about this tea, since I’ve heard good things about it. But I’m not a huge fan of chais in general so I wasn’t sure how I would like it. I was surprised at how mildly flavored it is, very light in the spice flavor. The flavor is initially of herbs with a subtle spicy aftertaste that lingers. It was ok without milk and sugar, but with it becomes a smooth, warming cup that reminds me a little of gingerbread. Thank you to KiwiDelight for this sample! I’m saving the rest of it for the fiancee, who loves chais!

-Dry blend has medium black and brown tea leaves with dried berries and pieces of spices and herbs.
-Dry leaves smell lightly earthy and of fresh herbs. Tea liquor aroma is of warm spices.
-Tea liquor is a clear dark yellow color.
-Light herb flavor and finish. Subtle spicy aftertaste that lingers.
-Best with milk and sweetener.
-Very good tea. Light chai flavor with warm and sweet spices. Slightly reminiscent of gingerbread.

KiwiDelight

Oh dear! Had I known you don’t like chai I would have sent something else, but I’m happy you enjoyed this blend regardless.

Josie Jade

I don’t hate chais, I drink them occasionally, I just don’t usually get excited about them. This one was wonderful, though! I’m glad you sent it! :)

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Evening decaf cup. This one was included for free in my Della Terra order (thank you!). It has a really strong aroma of spices – mostly cloves and cinnamon. The tea brews up a pretty very dark reddish purple color. The flavor is clove with a very tart finish. There is a musty and tart fruit aftertaste. I didn’t care for this tea at all until I added sweetener, and then suddenly it became a cup of smooth clove flavor with a sweet fruitiness to it. Still not a favorite, but I will be able to finish the sampler pack with a little sugar in each cup!

The fiancee and I went on a major cleaning spree today. All of the Christmas decor is tucked away for another year and the house is organized and sparkling clean. We kind of went a little overboard at the Yankee Candle clearance sale, so the house has candles in every room and smells so good. The candle nearest me is ‘Daisy Fields’ and it smells like fresh grass and pretty white daisies. I think I have a candle addiction.

-Dry blend has a mixture of spices and dried fruits.
-Dry leaves smell overwhelmingly of spices. Tea liquor aroma is of spicy cloves and cinnamon.
-Tea liquor is a clear very dark reddish purple color.
-Clove flavor with a very tart finish. Musty and tart fruit aftertaste.
-Best with sweetener.
-Good tea. A strong numbing clove flavor with a hint of tartness.

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drank Creamy Eggnog by Butiki Teas
358 tasting notes

I only have a few more new teas to try. Which is probably good because classes start on Monday and I can’t be distracted by all of these new teas. I’m going to try to get to all of them before Monday, and the first tea today is Creamy Eggnog. I added this tea to my Butiki order after reading all of the favorable comments about it. My fiancee loves eggnog, and he also loves green tea so I figured this would be a winner for him. He was away for Christmas, so now that he’s home it is the perfect time for both of us to try this tea. I was initially very concerned because the steeped tea is so very pale – almost colorless. But the aroma is definitely eggnog. The flavor is very subtle, but a creamy eggnog flavor with a wonderful rich vanilla note. I really love this one, and I’m not even a huge fan of green teas. This one will go on the list to order early next Christmas so I can enjoy it the whole season long.

-Dry blend has very large green tea leaves with small orange petals.
-Dry leaves smell very faintly of eggnog. Tea liquor aroma is of sweet vanilla.
-Tea liquor is a clear almost colorless pale yellow color.
-Buttery flavor with a slight fresh green tea finish. Light creamy vanilla and eggnog aftertaste.
-Best with sweetener.
-Very good tea. A delicate cup. Light and creamy custard eggnog flavor with a hint of rich vanilla.

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Bio

Just a Southern girl who loves sunshine, little dogs and all things tea!

I love animals and animal rescue. We have a rescued Chihuahua, Greyhound, Siamese and 2 Tabbies. We also foster kittens for the local humane society.

My favorite teas are sweet and malty black teas but I try to branch out and taste them all. :)

“Come, let us have some tea and continue to talk about happy things.”

Rating Guide:
10 – Awful tea, wouldn’t purchase again
20 – Poor tea, wouldn’t purchase again
40 – Fair tea, might purchase again
60 – Good tea, likely to purchase again
80 – Very good tea, very likely to purchase again
100 – Excellent tea, will definitely purchase again

Location

North Carolina

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